Hearts get the better of Celtic
Hearts halted Celtic’s recent momentum with a disciplined 2-1 win in Glasgow to keep their noses ahead in this season's dramatic title race.
The Celts dominated, but the clearer chances fell to Derek McInnes’ side. Claudio Braga struck just before half-time, taking advantage of slack defending, and Oisin McEntee added a second shortly after the hour.
Kieran Tierney pulled one back, but it was too late for Celtic. In Wilfried Nancy’s first match in charge, they looked tidy enough in spells but were too disjointed around the box.
For Celtic, the defeat ends a run of five consecutive league wins - and again it is Hearts who have taken points off them, the only side to do so since October.
The Jambos, though, have seen their form dip, with just two wins in their last six matches, but this result offers a timely boost and perhaps a psychological advantage.
That said, Celtic now sit just three points behind Hearts, with a game in hand, presenting a good chance to go level in the coming weeks.
Rangers thrash Kilmarnock
Rangers continued to claw their way back up the table with a routine 3-0 victory at Rugby Park over Kilmarnock, after dropping points in their last two Premiership matches.
Bojan Miovski scored twice and looked more confident than in recent outings. Mikey Moore thought he had added a late fourth before a VAR intervention, shortly after Stuart Kettlewell was shown a red card.
Concerns persist, despite the scoreline, particularly with both Hearts and Motherwell overperforming this season, and European competition to contend with, Rangers need to get their act together if they are to move into the top two.
For Kilmarnock, it was another poor result as they continue to slide, exposing issues in depth. Slumped in 10th, you have to go back to the first week of October to find their last win (2-0 v St Mirren).
Nine points adrift, the Killie might already be preparing themselves to be in the bottom half of the table for the split in May.
Motherwell not slowing down
After drawing their previous two matches, Motherwell extended their unbeaten run to eight with a 3-0 win over Livingston, a result that reinforces their challenge for a European spot.
Under Jens Berthel Askou, Motherwell remain compact without the ball and are quick to break when chances arise. Tawanda Maswanhise has been lethal, scoring eight goals in the league, drawing him level with Lawrence Shankland.
With Hearts, Celtic, and Rangers expected to occupy the top three places, the remaining European berth is shaping into a contest between Motherwell, Hibernian and Aberdeen - and the latter two have been fairly solid this term.
Motherwell face Dundee Utd in their next match, while Hibs face Rangers and the Dons take on Kilmarnock, providing an opportunity to pull away a little further if results fall favourably.